After examining 100 printer ink cartridges from top brands, I discovered a shocking fact: the HP 65 tri-color ink cartridge is one of the most expensive inks in the world, costing a staggering $9,995 per liter.
Despite a modest price tag of just $19.99 per cartridge, the cost-effectiveness of this ink is far from ideal.
Here’s a breakdown of why this HP printer cartridge may seem the cheapest at the time of purchase, but for regular users, it could turn out to be one of the most expensive investments.
The illusion of affordability – cheap but expensive
For just $19.99, you can replace your HP 65 Tri-color ink cartridge and continue printing. But here’s the catch: $19.99 only gets you 2ml of ink, which is enough ink to print about 100 pages. While 100 pages may seem reasonable, once you do the math, you’ll realize that for every 1,000 pages, you’ll spend $200 on ink cartridges. And if you use a liter of this ink, the total cost will be close to $10,000! What initially seems like an inexpensive product is actually one of the most expensive items you can buy for your printer in the long run.
Now let’s compare this to what other ink options offer. Take the Epson T850, for example, which costs $71 for an 80ml cartridge and can print up to 850 pages. With this printer, the cost to print 1,000 pages would be just under $85 – significantly less than the cost of the HP 65. Another example is the Brother LC75C, which costs $15.49 for a 12ml cartridge and can print 600 pages. In the long run, you’ll only spend about $25.82 for 1,000 pages.
Why is the HP 65 Tri-color Ink Cartridge so expensive? The answer lies in the economics of the printer. Printer manufacturers like HP sell their printers at competitive prices, but recoup profits by selling high-margin ink cartridges. For example, printers compatible with the HP 65 Tri-Color ink cartridge, such as the HP DeskJet 3755 or HP Envy 5055, are often very affordable. However, users who purchase these low-cost printers are faced with the high cost of replacement cartridges like the HP 65. With this model, although the printer itself is cheap, long-term printing costs are anything but cheap.
For anyone who prints a reasonable amount of documents or images, tank printers are a much better option. Ink tanks offer a significantly lower cost per page and can print thousands of pages before needing to be refilled. Unlike traditional cartridges that hold a small amount of ink, ink tanks are designed for batch printing and provide a significantly lower total cost of ownership over time.
The shelf price of an ink cartridge is not all you should pay attention to when purchasing it. To choose the right ink for your printer, you need to consider the total cost of ownership based on the number of pages printed. For example, finding out how much it costs to print 1,000 pages can give you a clearer picture of the long-term expenses involved.
With traditional HP cartridge models like the HP 65 or HP 67, you can easily spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars to meet your printing needs. However, with an ink tank printer you can save significantly because refilling ink costs just a fraction of the price per page.